Collapsible shipping-crate.



No. 678,057. Patented July 9, l90l.

J. S. STEINBERG 8. 6 VAN HANDOBF.

CULLAPSIBLE SHIPPING CRATE A lication filed Apr. us, 1901.

(No Model.)

l lII- UNITED STATES PATENT O I E. 1

JACOB s. STEINBERG AND GEORGE VAN HANDORF, or CINCINNATI, on' oj.

COLLAPSIBLE SHIPPING-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 678,057, dated July 9, 1901.

Application filed April 15, 1901.

1'0 a/ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known thatwe, JACOBS. STEINBERG and GEORGE VAN HANDORF, citizens of the United States, residing at Cincinnati, Hamilton county, State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Collapsible Shipping-- Crate; and we do declare the following to be a clear, full,'and exact description of the in-, vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, attention being called to the accompanying drawings, with the reference characters marked thereon, which form also a, part of this specification. A

The subject of this invention isa shippingcrate such as is ordinarily used for various purposes, but principally for shipping poultry. When during the handling and shipment of such crates between two points they travel loaded only in one direction, the ex pense connected with their return after empty is generally out of proportion to their value in View of the space they occupy. This objection is overcome to some extent by manufacturing such crates as cheap as possible, leaving return and reuse out of consideration after once shipped, the waste and expense being then only a limited one.

The object of our invention is to prevent this loss due to such waste altogether and Where reuse is intended to reduce the costof return shipment and to render the handling during transportation and storing While empty more convenient. This object is "attained by a certain construction, as shown and described,-which renders such crates collapsible, thereby resulting in a great reduction of bulk. This reduction is of great ad-- vantage in shipping these crates when empty and'while stored at such times when not in use.

In the following specification, and particularly pointed out in the claim following, is found a full description of the invention, together with its manner of use, parts, and construction, which latter is also illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a collapsible crate constructed in conformity with our invention and shown in condition ready for use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of it in its collapsed condition. Fig. 3 is a side eleterial.

senn No. 55,822. on model.)

vation of it in the same condition. Fig. 4 is i an enlarged detail view showing parts of a cross-section.

The sides forming the top A, bottom side B, and two of the upright sides, which are 01)- posite each other and which may in this case be ends C, can be constructed in any suitable way. They maybe solid or open-work, as shown. The bottom is preferably made solid and constructed as shown and consists'of a surrounding quadrangular frame of strong material filled in with a panel of lighter ma:

9 9 are the shorter or end rails of this frame, and 10 10 are the longer side rails thereof. Ends C C and top A are each constructed of similar rectangular frames, being in this case filled out with open-work, which may be wooden slats or wire rods, as shown.

11 represents the longer and horizontal rails of the surrounding frames of ends C C, and

12 are the uprights connecting them. These uprights form also what might be termed the corner-posts of the structure when the same is in position for use.

13 13 are the shorter rails of the surrounding frame forming part of top A, and 14 14 are the longer rails connecting them.

A closable opening to permit access to the So interior may be provided in any suitable way. As shown, a number of the wire rods filling out the top frame are independently connect- 4 ed to'a cross-piece 15 and loosely fitted into rail 14;, the whole forming a connected section which may be slidout laterally, as shown in dotted lines, producing then an opening in the top for access and providing at' the same time the means to close the same.

Ends C are each hingedly connected to bot- 0 tom B, as well as to top A, the connection being such that they are capable of swinging in the samedirection to either one side or the other. As shown and viewed in the drawings, they are capable of swinging to the right side, 5 left end C dropping onto bottom B and the side at the right end dropping beyond said bottom. Top A follows in this movement, approaching bottom -B. In detail, the connection is by hinges 16, attaching the hori- 10o zontal rails of ends C to the adjoining rails of respectively top and bottom. These hinges are so secured as to bring the turning-point on which end pieces 0 swing on diagonally i mp5? 1, the means for which purpose must, how

ever, be of a nature and construction to permit also the crate to be folded up and collapsed, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. For such purpose this space is filled out with narrow members 17, each constituting a sectional portion of the wall or side and are suitably rails, into which grooves the ends of members 17 extend. In the arrangement as shown it is necessary, in order to let top and bottom come toward each other as close as possible, that members 17 be capable of elongation, for which purpose they are formed of two sections having a sliding adjustment on each other. By preference we use the construction shown and make one part of these members hollow to be occupied by the other part.

In practice the parts first mentioned may be tubes hingedly connected to one of the rails and receiving through their open ends the other parts, which may be Wire rods hingedly connected to the other rail.

There should be suitable locking means to hold the structure either in its erected or collapsed condition, and for which purpose we provide lugs 21, attached in suitable positions, so as to be capable of locking the movable parts together. As shown, they are secured to the longer rails at the sides, they being preferably set in flush, for which purpose the woodwork is cut out in the proper places. In the erected position these lugs engage the uprights at the corners, locking them to the side rails. In the collapsed condition these latter are locked to each other, suitable bolts 22 being used in each case, occupying openings 23-.

Having described our invention, we claim as new-= In a collapsible crate, the combination of a top and bottom side, two end sides, hinges whereby all four sides are connected, and intervenient members 17 to close the space at the sides of the structure so formed by the hingedly-connected sides, said members each consisting of two sections adapted to telescope, one within the other, one section of all these members being hingedly connected to the top and the other being connected in like manner to the bottom.

In testimony whereof we hereunto set our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB S. STEINBERG. GEORGE VAN I-IANDORF, Witnesses:

G. SPENGEL, ARTHUR KLINE. 

